Attalla Fire Department receives new truck

Attalla Fire Chief Robert Dillard, Sr. said that the new truck is a Rosenbauer Quint that will replace a 1997 KME/International.

The new truck has a longer ladder that is 78 feet long, as opposed to the 55-foot ladder on the old truck.

Fire Chief Dillard has high hopes that the new truck could lower Attalla’s ISO score of four. A lower ISO score could mean lower insurance premiums in the area.

“I am very excited about this,” said ex-firefighter and Attalla District 5 Mayor Pro-tem Bob Cross. “We’ve been needing a piece of equipment like this in Attalla for a long time.”

In addition to the ladder, the “smart truck” also has safety features that prevent the ladder from harming the vehicle. The truck even has remote control features.

“The safety features it has are second to none,” said Cross.

The cost of the $650,000 truck is being paid for out of the property tax fire prevention fund. The truck’s price was already reduced by about $100,000 because it was used by the company during tours to demonstrate the models capabilities. Exchange Bank of Alabama financed the truck.

“We did local financing to support our community,” said Attalla Finance Director Debbie Bobo.

The City of Attalla plans to sell the 1997 truck for approximately $50,000 to a fire department in Oregon.

Ten people trained on the new truck the afternoon it arrived.

“They [the firemen] are very happy, very excited,” said Dillard. “We’ve been eagerly awaiting the truck for five months.”